.png){kind=small}
Welcome to The Human Therapist
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
Hey folks,
Welcome to the very first edition of my newsletter and, honestly, welcome to this little corner of the internet I've been dreaming about creating for a long time.
My hope for this newsletter is pretty simple: I want it to be a place where I can share updates about Inner Rising, offer resources and practical tools, occasionally ramble about books I've loved, talk about the mental health field, and give you easy access to my blog, The Human Therapist. Most importantly, though, I want to build community. My big dream is that this eventually grows into a support network where people can connect with one another, maybe even through a future Discord community.
But before we get there, I should probably introduce myself.
I'm Ryn Rising (they/them), and I contain multitudes.
I am white, trans, queer, neurospicy, an American citizen, invisibly disabled, imperfect, frequently tired, occasionally chaotic, deeply creative, and a trauma-informed mental health counselor and coach who has spent nearly 15 years working in this field.
You can learn more about me here:https://www.innerrising.nl/plans
I didn't become a therapist because I had everything figured out. Quite the opposite.
About five years into my own mental health journey, I started noticing something that felt impossible to ignore: there weren't many therapists who looked like me, lived like me, or understood the communities I belonged to.
I went through three therapists before I found one I stayed with for twelve years.
She was warm. Pleasant. Well-intentioned.
And sometimes, if I'm being honest, performatively nice.
(More on that therapeutic relationship in future blog posts because whew, there's material there.)
She didn't really understand my queerness. She struggled with my pronouns for years. At the time, that actually felt like an improvement over previous experiences.
When I came out as bisexual to a former therapist, her response was:
"Um, okay. Are you sure? No, you're not."
Which is certainly... one way to respond.
She was also a psychologist with a PhD who occasionally had me wait outside her office while she listened to voicemails and returned calls on speakerphone. I'd sit there cupping my ears, desperately wishing I'd brought my headphones, getting an unsolicited preview of other people's lives. Looking back, it's absurd. At the time, though? This was somehow still an upgrade.
Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the healing experience advertised on the brochure.
What I wanted was surprisingly simple.
I wanted someone who got it.
Someone who didn't require a PowerPoint presentation on gender identity before we could talk about what was actually going on in my life.
Someone who didn't treat me like an educational opportunity.
Someone who didn't tell me I was in a "safe space" while simultaneously making me feel like an outsider.
Someone who understood that "just set an alarm" is not a complete treatment plan for executive functioning struggles.
Eventually, I became the therapist I needed.
Not because I thought I was uniquely qualified, but because I knew I couldn't possibly be the only person looking for that kind of support.
Thankfully, I wasn't.
Today there are more queer, trans, and neurodivergent therapists and coaches than ever before, and I think that's a beautiful thing.
When we don't have to spend half our session explaining who we are, we get more time to focus on healing, growth, relationships, identity, and building lives that actually fit us.
And if I'm not the right fit for someone?
That's okay too
Finding a therapist or coach is an investment of your time, money, energy, vulnerability, and hope.
You deserve to be picky. Shop around. Ask questions. Trust your gut.
A good fit matters.
Right now, I only have 3 openings for both counseling and coaching clients.
If you're an Oregon resident looking for therapy, you can learn more here:https://www.innerrising.nl/counseling
If you're anywhere else in the world and interested in coaching, you can learn more here:https://www.innerrising.nl/coaching
Maybe you're burned out.
Maybe perfectionism has turned your nervous system into a full-time employee.
Maybe you're struggling with executive functioning, doomscrolling, identity exploration, relationships, or just trying to exist in a world that wasn't exactly designed with your brain in mind.
Maybe you're interested in intensive support rooted in Emotionally Focused Therapy, identity exploration, or deeper personal growth.
Whatever brings you here, know that counseling and coaching are different services.
I'll be writing more about those differences soon so you can make informed decisions about what feels right for you.
And because I know many of you have questions, future editions of The Human Therapist will tackle topics like:
What do I mean when I talk about the "performance" of therapy?
Did I always identify as queer and trans?
Can lived experience ever be a drawback for therapists?
How do you choose the right therapist or coach?
What did twelve years with the same therapist teach me about helping people?
Plus whatever wonderfully curious questions you send my way.
Speaking of which...
If you'd like to submit a question for a future post, take my community questionnaire here:
Or comment below!
No promises that I'll answer everything immediately. I am, after all, late-diagnosed neurodivergent and occasionally lose track of time, emails, and the existence of Tuesdays.
My goal is one or two newsletters a month, *including pet pics* with the occasional extra update when inspiration strikes.
Thanks for being here.
Seriously.
Whether you're a longtime friend, a former client, a fellow therapist, or someone who accidentally wandered onto this mailing list while looking for something entirely different, I'm glad you found your way here.
Welcome to The Human Therapist.
I'm excited to see where we rise from here.
— Ryn
This Editions Pet Pics: Introductions
Sansa/Santa Queso/Babes/Yass Qween/Baby Uri (It's a long story, okay)
or Baby Sansa on our first trial walk around the block in June 2018. So nervous, so scared, so unbelievably cute.
